Aeroplane



D. W. SHARKEY:

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION man 050. 24. 1918.

1,355,624. Patented Oct. 12, 1920 2 SHEETSSHEET I.

D. W. SHARKEY.

AEROPLANE.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC. 24, I918.

1,355,624. Patented Oct. 12,1920.

Q-ZSHEETS-SHEET 2.

' Z] i if 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AEBOPLANE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented O t. 12 1920 Original application filed November 27, 1917, Serial No. 204,156. Divided and this application filed December 24, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOMINICK W. SHAR- KEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Aeroplanes, of-which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accom anying drawings, forming part thereof.

y invention relates to aeroplanes and has for its general object great strength, high speed, reliability, durability and other objects and advantages which will hereinafter appear. My present invention relates more particularly to the construction of the wings or planes and the means for mounting them and is a divisional part of the subjectmatter of my copending a plication for patent for aeroplane, filed ovember 27, 1917, Serial No. 204,156, which became Patent No. 1,315,044, dated September 2, 1919.

My invention includes a tube forming the body of the aeroplane and wings forming planes secured to and extending laterally from the sides of such tube, these wings being of a ribbed construction and being detachable from the body-forming tube. My invention also includes, in combination, a

frame comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending strength-providing members at the outside of the body-forming wingsupporting tube, and a plurality of strengthening rings tyin such frame pieces or members together. y invention further includes features of construction and combinations of parts, as will appear from the following description.

I shall nowdescribe the aeroplane embodying my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 11s a top or plan view.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on a plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 as viewed from the right.

Fig. 3 is a partial section similar to Fig. 2 but showing a wing as detached.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation on a reduced scale.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation as viewed from below in Fig. 1 and from the left in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a somewhat enlarged central vertical longitudinal section with parts 1n elevation and other parts omitted.

Fig. 7 is a much enlarged vertical longi- Serial No. 268,148.

tudinal section of one of the wings on a plane indicated by the line 7-7 of Fig. l as viewed from below.

Fig. 8 is a similar view on the line 88 of Fig. 1.

In the aeroplane embodying my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawlngs, a gradually rearwardly tapered sheet metal tube 1 forms a part of the body frame or fuselage of the machine. A sheet metal hood 2 of substantially semicircular crosssection and shown as slightly tapered in a forward direction extends forward from the upper part of the forward end of the tube 1, forming a forward continuation of the upper part of the tube 1, this semicircular the lower edges of the forwardly extendedv hood 2. These wings comprise gradually outwardly tapered V-shaped sheet metal ribs 5 which are shown as extending laterally in parallel relation and at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the machine, and in the particular construction illustrated in the drawings, these ribs are shown as seven in number for eachwing, and these wing-ribs 5 are all of similar construction, but vary as to their length and cross-section. In the construction illustrated in the drawings the foremost rib 5 is shown-as slightly shorter than the next succeeding rib 5, and after this, the ribs 5 are shown as of graduall less length and of correspondingly re uced cross-section so that, as clearly appears in Fig. 1, the wings have the greatest spread near their forward edges and gradually taper on a' substantially roundedcurve toward the rear.

The lower air-engaging wingsurface of the wing is shown in the drawings as fiat or ribs 5 are provided with end flanges 9 which conform to and are firmly secured, for example, by means of rivets 10, to a curved end plate 11. These end plates 11 are curved to conform to the outer surfaces of and are adapted to be detachably secured in place upon the tube 1 and hood 2 of the fuselage or framework of the machine, and are shown as thus secured in place by means of two sets of upper short bolts 12 and by a single set of lower long bolts or tie rods 13 which extend transversely from side to side through the lower edges of'the hood 2 and transversely across the tube 1 just below the axis or center line thereof. Simply by removing the outwardly exposed nuts from these bolts 12 and rods 13, the wings may be detached from the body or fuselage, thus providing for convenient transportation and for the easy makingof repairs.

The sheet metal plate 6 forming the lower wing surfaces is provided between the wingribs 5 with a series of unobstructed openings or apertures 14 of comparatively small diameter, these holes ll permitting the passage of small quantities of air from the lower to the'upper sides of the wings between the ribs 5, so as thereby to preventthe forming of objectionable eddy currents in the air above the wings by the wingribs 5.

It will be noted that the wings and entire body structure or fuselage are formed entirely of metal, so that their construction is such as to provide great strength combined with lightness.

The body-forming and wing-carrying tube 1 of the fuselage is also a propulsion tube for'driving the aeroplane forward, as is indicated by the propeller .15 appearing in Fig. 6. This part of the aero lane is the subject of my above mentioned etters Patent.

The other parts of the aeroplane,- some of which appear in the accompanying drawings, and not h'ereinbefore particularly described, may be of a usual or of any suitable construction. It is to be more particularly noted that lateral balancing control may be effected in substantially ausual way by warping the outer ends or tips of the wings, which are sufficiently flexible for this purpose, and this warping of the wings to obtain the lateral balancing control may be effected in substantially a usual way by means of usual guys 16, shown in Fig. 4. These guys 16 also strengthen the wings in a substantially usual way.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention,

1 claim: v

1. An aeroplane having, in combination, a longitudinally extending body-forming tube, and wings forming planes projecting laterally from said tube, said wings comprising gradually outwardly tapered ribs secured at their inner ends to the sides of said tube, and an underlying sheet secured to said ribs and forming an air-enga ing lower wing surface, the upper portion of the said ribs and the top of the underlying sheet, except where it is covered by the ribs, being exposed to the air.

2. The invention claimed in claim 1 in which the inner ends of said wing ribs, are detachably secured to said body-forming wing-supporting tube.-

3. An aeroplane having, in combination, a I longitudinally extending. body-forming tube, and wings forming planes projecting laterally from said tube, said wings com tube, whereby said wings may be readily removed and replaced.

4. The invention claimed in claim 1 in' which-the wings have a plural series of unobstructed openin s in the win s between the supporting ri s thereof, sai openings bein of such a size as to revent the formation of objectionable e dies above the wings. v

5. An aeroplane having, in combination, a longitudinally extendin body-forming tube, and wings forming p anes projecting laterally from said tube, said wings comprising gradually outwardly tapered ribs secured at their inner ends to the sides of said tube, an underlying sheet secured to said ribs and. forming an air-engaginglower wing surface, all the said parts of said aeroplane being of metal, and tie rods extending transversely through and across the body,- forming tube for supporting the wings.

6. The invention claimed in claim 1' in combination with tie rods extendin transversely through and across the b0 y-formingtube and through the lower edges of said.

of, and a metallic sheet forming an air-engaging surface firmly secured to the lower sides of said ribs, the upper portion of the said ribs and the top of the underlying sheet, except where it is covered by the ribs, being exposed to the air.

8. An aeroplane Wing comprising V- shaped sheet metal ribs arranged in parallel relation one behind the other and gradually tapering in cross-section from the inner end toward the wing tip and arranged with their apices upward, such ribs having lateral flanges and inner end flanges, a metallic sheet forming a lower air-engaging wing surface firmly secured to said lateral flanges of the ribs, and a metallic supporting sheet 15 firmly secured to said end flanges of the ribs. 9. The invention claimed in claim 7 in which the metallic air-engaging sheet has a plural series of unobstructed openings there- DOMINIOK W. SHARKEY. 

